


Troublemakers

by AuthenticAussie



Series: and we can watch the stars on the water [49]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-04-24 18:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4930012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthenticAussie/pseuds/AuthenticAussie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Marco suffers because of a row of slightly bad choices, Ace and Sabo are troublemakers, poor Smoker has been dealing with the two of them for <i>six years</i> now, and Tashigi proves to be literally the most effective wielder of the puppy dog eyes.</p><p>(Well, excluding Luffy and Marco's own bias towards Ace and Sabo's pouts.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> s' kind of really really REALLY minor nsfw (like a single hicky + kiss ffft) BUT IM TAGGING IT ANYWAY  
> BE WARNEDDD
> 
> There's a whole bunch of headcanons in the bottom section btw ffft

Marco was smart.

He took great  _pride_ in being known as ‘smart’. He studied hard, worked almost incessantly, and he’d struggled through his first year of a teaching degree while in his last year of high school. 

However, for his TA placement, he did something that one would consider  _not_ so smart.

He applied to be a TA at his boyfriends’ school. 

Now, that in itself wasn’t awfully unintelligent. They’d kept their relationship on the down low due to Sabo’s parents [1], and so only a few select friends (and Marco’s family) knew about them dating. It wasn’t illegal (though it  _may_ have just skirted the line) and in half a year, both Ace and Sabo would have graduated and it wouldn’t matter  _anyway._

The ‘not so smart’ bit came when Marco managed to gain a reputation as the only teacher in the entire school who could get Ace and Sabo to behave and not play pranks. 

Marco was going to tell absolutely  _no-one_ that he did that by threatening to withhold their cuddling/kissing privileges. He still had  _some_ dignity left (and besides, the threat wouldn’t really work coming from anyone but him.)

The even  _less_ smart bit came when Marco volunteered to help Tashigi - the other TA who’d been placed at Ace and Sabo’s school - take the track and field team to the neighbouring city for a competition. They were accompanied by Smoker (the long-suffering PE teacher, who often complained about Ace and Sabo flirting while they competed.)  

He’d thought everything would be  _fine._

Until he realised that everyone got to pick their own room, and Ace and Sabo had somehow managed to weasel their way into staying together. Tashigi had cornered him when she realised, dragging along Smoker and a grinning Ace and Sabo.

“ _Please_!” she was currently begging, hands clasped, “If you don’t stay in their room, they’ll probably plot and set the hotel on fire! You’re a responsible adult, they  _have_ to listen to you!”

“Why can’t Smoker do it?” he asked, trying to ignore how Ace and Sabo were grinning behind Tashigi and seemed  _ridiculously_ amused by the insinuation that he was responsible. 

“You’re the only one who can control them, Marco.” Tashigi said, casting hopeful eyes up at him, and behind her Marco could see Ace and Sabo cast a glance between each other. 

Ace sniggered quietly, elbowing Sabo, but Sabo had already caught the unintentional innuendo and was grinning like an idiot. Smoker glared at them both, but Marco caught the hint of confusion in his foul look.

“There’re only two beds though,” he tried to defend again, knowing that if he ended up in the same room as Ace and Sabo  _none_ of them were going to be sleeping[2].

"Trust me, they won’t complain about sharing,” Smoker grumbled in a resigned way that had Marco recalling just how many times Ace and Sabo had complained about being caught making out in the locker rooms by him[3], “though  _you_ might.”

His excuses defeated, Marco’s shoulders dropped in a sigh, and Tashigi lit up. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cried happily, and Marco tried not to feel like he’d screwed up somewhere along the way.

* * *

 

When Marco came out of the shower and found Ace and Sabo drawing up battle plans for a prank, he conceded that Tashigi may have been right. 

He cleared his throat pointedly, unamused that they’d been using  _his_ bed to put their plans into motion, and Ace quickly gave him an innocent grin. “Nice shower?” he asked casually, and Marco reminded himself that if they even dreamed about playing a prank, Smoker would have them hauled into detention for weeks.

Not that they’d go unless Marco forced them, but still. 

“Smoker’ll have your heads if you do anything,” he warned, as was his civil duty to the people (and as their boyfriend) but they only grinned.  

“I think we’ll survive,” Sabo said, and Marco proceeded to abandon Tashigi’s cause, instead rooting through his bag to try and find his pajamas. They’d gone missing while the team had been out for dinner, and though he’d found his boxers before jumping in the shower, he couldn’t seem to find his pants  _anywhere._ It was almost like they’d been stolen-

On a hunch, Marco looked over his shoulder, catching Ace smirking at him. He turned back to his bag, and, still looking at the wall, asked, “I don’t suppose you know where my pants are?”

Ace’s quiet snigger told him all he needed to know, but his answer just confirmed Marco’s suspicions. “I think you look better without them.” 

“But I need them,” Marco said shortly, turning around with his hands on his hips. “It’s  _cold,_ yoi _._ ”  

Ace’s smirk grew even wider, morphing into a grin, and he let his eyes flick pointedly up Marco’s body. “We could help with that.”

“So can my blankets,” Marco said, giving Ace a fake smile, and he watched as both Ace and Sabo pouted. It gave him a small sense of victory to cherish as he turned off the lights got into bed, but he had little time to relish it. A creak was the only warning he got before Ace’s body impacted with his and he had two wrigglers attempting to squirm under his blankets. “These beds are  _not_ big enough for two, let alone three!” he protested, clutching his blanket even tighter around his shoulder and doing his best to ignore Sabo and Ace laughing.

“You just have to get creative,” Sabo said, having managed to get under the blankets and trying to wriggle his feet between Marco’s shins so he could get more space.

Ace rolled over him again as he got beneath the blankets, pressing Marco to the bed and into Sabo’s elbow, and Marco pulled the blanket even closer to his ears to try and stop the both of them. Ace laughed even more at his behaviour, and Marco huffed. “For god’s sake can you get off?” he finally snapped, and Ace’s grin grew even bigger.

“I think I’d like some help with that.”

“You  _are_ the only one who can-” Sabo’s face was twisted as he tried to fight back a smile, but his grin escaped from his control and he began to laugh, “ _control us._ ”

Marco groaned in frustration, burying his face in his pillow. “You guys have a competition tomorrow, and we’re  _all_ getting up early. Go to  _sleep._ ”

Ace made a sound that could have been a whine of complaint, but Marco felt Sabo shift over him, whispering something that Marco presumed was soothing, as Ace’s arm was soon slung over both of them. 

For a moment everything was quiet, and Marco believed that they’d actually be able to get to sleep.

Then Sabo shifted and whispered something to Ace, and Ace burst into uncontrollable giggles.

“Oh for god’s sake!” he said, and rolled over, simultaneously pulling Sabo - the instigator - into his previous spot. Sabo yelped when he was crushed under Marco’s body, and then laughed, his hands wrapping around Marco’s biceps.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to forego sleep,” Sabo said, grinning mischievously in the dark, and had opened his mouth to make another teasing remark when Marco bent down to kiss him, cutting off his words. Sabo gasped in surprise, thumbs pressed into Marco’s bicep.

Marco slowly pulled away, their breaths still intermingling, and replied evenly (well, as evenly as he could get, slightly breathless from his kiss), “Probably won’t be so glad in a minute.” 

“I can live with that,” Sabo panted, his tongue flicking out to trace his lips. Ace decided he’d had enough of being cut out from their conversation, and wriggled until he could rest against Marco’s side, mouth against Marco’s shoulder and slowly working his way up. 

Meanwhile Marco put his attentions to undoing Sabo’s shirt, keeping Sabo pinned so that he couldn’t put to use his  _stupidly_ talented hands (Marco felt rather disadvantaged, honestly, seeing as he was only in his boxers but Sabo had managed to keep his pajamas. It was  _completely_ unfair.)

When Ace suddenly fastened teeth to his throat, leaving a hickey that would be hard to explain away in the morning[4], Marco realised he  _maybe_ should have been paying more attention to what Ace had been doing. Ace was the troublemaker, after all.

He jolted, and Ace got rammed in the throat by Marco’s shoulder, making him reel back. 

For a moment he hung suspended by the side of the bed, but Marco watched in the dim light as Ace’s expression morphed from pain to horror and he began to slip. “Shit!” Ace yelped as he tried to sit up, but his efforts were futile and he landed with a loud thump on the floor.

Ace’s muffled groan assured Marco that he was alright, but he still couldn’t help but worriedly peer over the side of the bed, greeted with the sight of Ace rubbing at his head.

“You alright?” Marco asked, trying to keep the laughter from his voice, but at Ace’s unimpressed pout he realised he  _may_ have failed that. 

“Want us to kiss it better?” Sabo offered, pulling himself from the pillows to Marco’s side.

Ace gave a sulky nod that made Marco bite back another laugh, and then clambered back on the bed, this time squirming into the middle so that no other accidents could occur. 

Sabo curled around him, and Marco pulled up their discarded blankets, trying to maneuver his body in a way that wouldn’t leave his butt hanging over the edge of the bed all night. 

Finally, they’d all managed to settle comfortably, and Marco felt a small smile flicker over his face. Looks like he’d gotten away with not blackmailing them after all[5]. 

“Goodnight,” he whispered, and heard Ace’s answering mumble, and then Sabo’s hand patting at his face before slipping down to Marco's side and latching onto his hand. “I love you,” he added for good measure, and as he reached up to turn off the lamp he saw Sabo bury his face into Ace’s chest, and Ace’s lips pull into a happy smile.


	2. Pranks and Other Stupid Ideas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MINISTER-OF-SILLY-WALKS said: "Marco/Ace or Marco/Ace/Sabo I don't particularly care, but 18 please!"
> 
> _“This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had,” Sabo said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and staring down Ace’s puppy-dog eyes. “Of course I’m in.”_

It _was,_ Sabo did have to admit in all honesty, a beautiful, two-part plan. One of Ace’s better ones, which was impressive for someone as impulsive as Ace, and Sabo whistled lowly when he took in _exactly_ how much jelly Ace was planning to sneak into principal Akainu’s office, and how bright and clashing the orange and blue were going to be against Akainu's dark red decor. 

“Well?” Ace demanded from the window, hoisting himself onto his tiptoes so he could peer inside the room. “You gonna help or not, drip?”

Sabo poked his tongue out at Ace but then hastened to the window, grabbing the wooden boxes that Ace passed up to him, dumping them on the desk or the floor. When Ace was finally through passing them up, Sabo extended his hand and used it to help Ace up through the window. Ace stumbled purposefully, pressing a quick kiss to Sabo’s cheek and then dancing away with a laugh. Sabo rolled his eyes with a fond smile, picking his way through the boxes until he could get to the desk. 

“You filled _all_ of these with _jelly,”_ he said, still unable to believe Ace’s plan, and Ace grinned at him, winking. Sabo stifled a laugh, pulling the top off one of the boxes and revealing a bunch of smaller jelly moulds filled with pens and pencils. He shook his head at the forethought, rooting through Akainu’s desk and grabbing all the pencils he could fit into his pockets and one of the boxes Ace had already managed to empty, jelly at strategic places below Akainu’s desk. Then, he replaced them with the jelly moulds, packing in cubes and rectangles on top in a messy smush of jelly. 

It was weird and squirmy between his fingers, and Sabo couldn’t help the occasional giggle that overcame him as it wobbled in his hands, imagining how priceless Akainu’s face would look. 

When Ace got out a camera from his bag, Sabo had to press both his hands against his mouth, doubled over to prevent any laughter from escaping him. Ace really had thought of _everything_  this time around. 

Everything except Akainu’s schedule. 

A knock at the door had Sabo and Ace looking at each other in panic, scrambling over empty boxes and almost tripping on a few stray squares of jelly they quickly kicked with them out of the line of sight. Pressed against Ace’s chest, Sabo tried to calm his heaving breaths, feeling Ace’s fluttering heart against his shoulder and Ace’s warm hands wrapped around his stomach.

It’d be nice, if it weren’t for the utter indignity of being found before their wonderful prank would be realised.  

The door swung open, a familiar figure staring at files in his hands and adjusting his glasses, and Sabo could feel Ace’s cheek move as his face likely burst into a smile. 

“Sir,” Marco started without looking up from his folders, and the door swung shut behind him, letting Ace and Sabo ease themselves out of their hiding spot. “I just wanted to talk to you about some of these-”

“Dreadful delinquents?” Sabo finished for him, voice half a tease, and watched Marco jump in surprise, his hand pressing to his chest. 

“What the _fuck,”_ he hissed, once he’d realised no-one else was in the office but Ace and Sabo, and Sabo watched as Ace jumped forwards and buried himself in Marco’s arms, grinning widely. 

Even with Sabo by his side almost constantly, Ace still missed having Marco’s attention or his affection and Sabo couldn’t deny that he missed it too, especially with Marco so close all the time. They took spare moments whenever they could, stealing them without a care for the time or whatever they’d previously been involved in, but it was still hard, and Marco was too paranoid to let them take more than the bare minimum.  _  
_

_Though this one really could have been timed better,_ Sabo mused even as he stepped forwards to join in Ace’s impromptu cuddle, knowing this prank was dependent on a rather specific time frame. 

Marco stared at them suspiciously, even as he pressed a kiss to Sabo’s hair and wrapped his arm around Ace’s waist, pulling him just that slight bit closer. “What are you doing in here, yoi?” he asked, eyes narrowed, and Sabo tried to smile innocently but knew that Marco could easily see through it to his barely-hidden amusement. 

“Plausible deniability,” Ace said, pulling his head from Marco’s chest and grinning. “You’ll find out when everyone else does~”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

“Oh but what we’re doing most certainly will.” Ace replied, tilting down the folders Marco was holding and peering over the edge. “Dogface was being a dick to the LGBTQA club again, wasn’t he?”

Marco sighed heavily, twitching the papers out of Ace’s grasp, but didn’t deny the accusation. Sabo couldn’t help his angry snort, mumbling a few choice swears under his breath, and watched Ace’s eyes flick to him before Ace tugged him further into the cuddle, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. 

Now _this_ was much better than before, Sabo couldn’t help but admit, feeling Marco’s hand settle in the small of his back and closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth and the comfort. 

Ace’s watch beeping interrupted his gentle drifting, and Ace jolted out of Marco’s hold, wriggling his arm until he could see the time. He gave an annoyed click of his tongue, then rocked forwards and pressed a quick kiss to Marco’s nose, grinning at Marco’s startled expression. 

“Gotta get shaking,” he said in explanation, and Sabo bit his cheek, wishing he could enjoy just a little bit more time in their company. Ace scurried around the room while Sabo tried to convince himself to leave Marco’s grasp, and he couldn’t help himself from plaintively asking for a kiss with his eyes, a request that Marco saw and gladly filled, cupping his cheeks and making Sabo’s eyes flutter closed. He wrapped his hands around Marco’s wrists, feeling Marco’s pulse beat against his fingertips, and gently nipped Marco’s bottom lip with a grin that only grew bigger when Marco gave a tiny, breathless inhale. 

“ _Saaaaboooo,”_ Ace whined from the window, bag slung over his shoulder again and camera hidden on top of a cabinet, hooked up wirelessly to Ace’s laptop, and Sabo gave a quiet grumble, stepping back and grabbing some of the spare jelly and the boxes left lying around so Akainu wouldn’t know what had gone down in his office. “If I’m not allowed to kiss him at school, you aren’t either!”

“Oh, how many times have you followed _that_ rule?” Sabo said, watching as Ace squirmed out the window awkwardly, cradling his backpack. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining about me kissing Marco when you-”

“ _Sabo,”_ Marco said warningly from where he still stood inside Akainu’s office, and Sabo grinned at the sight of his red cheeks. Swinging himself onto the windowsill he took Ace’s hands and let Ace help him down before turning and blowing a kiss at Marco, still delighting in Marco’s awkward fidget before his face softened into a smile and he gave a small wave. 

Ace grinned, his own wave much less controlled, and Sabo laughed, grabbing his free hand and tugging Ace towards the oval, where they were supposed to be meeting for track and field. 

“You should be our alibi!” Ace called as they left, and watched Marco give what looked like a full-body snort, shaking his head. 

“No way, yoi. He’ll figure out it’s you two troublemakers even if I _did_ give you an alibi.”

“You love us for it though.” Sabo said, shrugging, and Marco heaved a dramtic sigh, shrugging.

“I suppose I do,” he replied mournfully, then flapped his hands and took a step towards Akainu’s office door. “Now get going, before you veto Smoker’s deal and get in trouble.”

“We’re _always_ in trouble!” Ace replied, hopping backwards and wrapping his hands in his bag straps, and Sabo sniggered at the truth of it. 

Better a troublemaker then compliant to a system that was flawed, however, and Sabo would much rather be known as the troublemaker that took a stand against a homophobic dick and got detention than someone who stood by and seethed.

Plus, it was going to be _hilarious_ seeing Akainu’s expression. Sabo couldn’t help but wonder if Akainu’s face would turn an even brighter, more enraged red then it had before, and found himself looking forwards to the sight. 

Besides; he could look forwards to detention with Marco and Ace, as well. _That_  was _always_ interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! <3
> 
> Oh, and friendly reminder: _I don't write nsfw._ Thank you!!!

**Author's Note:**

> [1] Everyone in the entire damn school knows that Ace and Sabo are dating. Wanna find one of them?? Check behind the sports shed or in the locker room, they're probably playing tonsil hockey or cards against humanity. That, or Sabo has dragged Ace off to the library to study for school (and Ace is trying to convince him that they should DEFINITELY start studying some...OTHER things...) Considering the amount of times they drag Marco to join them, however, it's amazing that no-one has actually realised that they're all dating, but somehow the general assumption is that Ace and Sabo are so frickin' wrapped up in each other that they wouldn't be able to notice someone else, even if they had super powers and offered to help the two pull off the most epic prank in the world*
> 
> *okay, maybe if this person helped them pull off the most epic prank in the world they'd notice. 
> 
> **Smoker is actually the only person in the school who KIND OF knows, but he just completely and utterly ignores it, because Marco isn't actually that bad (and anyone that can make Ace and Sabo behave AND is still polite and patient deserves SOME sort of respect)
> 
> [2] Sabo is the worst bedmate in the entire world. He jumps on the bed and instigates pillow fights (that of COURSE Ace had to join in on, Marco, what sort of person would he be if he let Sabo win the pillow war?) and has an awful, awful habit of clinging like a limpet and being all cute and cuddly when you actually WANT to get out of bed, making you five minutes late for your stupid graduation ceremony and causing Thatch to laugh at you because the last person in the hall got pelted with water balloons and NO SABO he WASN'T still bitter about that.
> 
> [3] The running count was forty-seven, but Ace swore up and down that it was forty-eight and Smoker had only groaned and let them be when he caught them that time.*
> 
> *The one that they actually count as forty-eight, Smoker came in, glared at them, and then pointed to the door. Ace and Sabo made their way from the lockers, relatively quietly, and then Ace asked, "Do you think the lack of shouting means he's starting to like us, or he's just to angry to shout?"  
> "Maybe it's that he's just resigned to his fate..."  
> Smoker made them run an extra seven laps for that. 
> 
> **Number one wasn't technically number one but they count it as such anyway. Smoker got so fed up with them flirting on the field and while training that he struck a deal with them. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted before or after his lesson, as long as they kept their hands to themselves and STOPPED BEING SO GODDAMN SAPPY DURING PRACTICE.
> 
> [4] The amount of times Ace and Sabo have given him hickies that he'd have to explain is ridiculous. Sometimes Marco doesn't even notice, and he has to figure how the HELL to explain why he has four hickies on his neck when he'd been staying in a hotel that should have feasibly been very far away from any girlfriends/etc. It's almost like they do it on purpose-*
> 
> *Ace and Sabo are forbidden from giving anymore hickies until after their graduation.
> 
> **The amount of times Ace and Sabo have listened to this rule is a big fat zero.
> 
> ***There is a running bet in the teacher's lounge about how Marco gets his magical hickies. The leading one is actually that Marco and Smoker is an on-and-off thing, because Marco sure does hang around the sports field a lot...
> 
> [5] Marco has gotten very VERY good at blackmailing the two of them. Granted, it rarely works, because they have NO FREAKING SHAME, but he can bribe them, and that'll usually work.


End file.
